Published in the prestigious journal Nature Communicationsa study led by Pr Florence JOLY (Scientific Director of the Centre Baclesse) and the French cooperative group GINECO highlights a promising avenue for the treatment of advanced endometrial cancer. The article, signed by some thirty French physicians, highlights the potential role of olaparib, a PARP enzyme inhibitor involved in DNA repair, as a maintenance treatment following platinum-based chemotherapy.
The UTOLA clinical trial included 145 patients at the end of chemotherapy. Two-thirds received maintenance treatment with olaparib, a compound already used in ovarian cancer in particular, while one-third received a placebo.
The aim: to find out whether treatment could delay relapse of the disease.
The results show that olaparib did not significantly improve progression-free survival in the overall population. However, some patients appear to respond better to treatment:
- Those whose cells have an alteration in the p53 gene (a gene that acts as a "guardian" of the genome, repairing DNA errors or eliminating damaged cells).
- Those with high chromosomal instability, a sign of more fragile genetic material.
- Those with a very good response to initial chemotherapy.
Treatment tolerability was deemed satisfactory, with adverse effects similar to those already experienced with olaparib (fatigue, anemia, nausea).
"These results open up important prospects for better targeting of patients likely to really benefit from PARP inhibitors," explains Prof. Florence JOLY.
While this trial is not yet leading to an immediate change in practices, it does underline the growing importance of molecular biology to better understand endometrial cancers, and to tailor treatments in a more personalized way in the future.
A world-renowned scientific journal, Nature has been publishing the most significant discoveries in international research since 1869. To be published in Nature or one of its offshoots, such as Nature Communications, is a genuine recognition of the quality, rigor and impact of research within the global scientific community.
